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Mission Statement

As part of the federal government’s National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Eye Institute’s mission is to “conduct and support research, training, health information dissemination, and other programs with respect to blinding eye diseases, visual disorders, mechanisms of visual function, preservation of sight, and the special health problems and requirements of the blind.”

10 things you should know about glaucoma

Tips and facts about the second leading cause of blindness

Date:

01/06/17

News Brief

January is Glaucoma Awareness Month. The National Eye Institute, part of NIH, is highlighting key facts about this blinding disease, important tips for prevention and treatment, and research updates you may not know about.

1. More than 2.7 million Americans over age 40 have glaucoma. That number is estimated to more than double by 2050. Though glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness in developed countries, increased awareness and ongoing research may reduce the health burden of glaucoma.

2. Anyone can develop glaucoma. Though it’s more common in people over the age of 45, babies and children can get a rare form of early onset glaucoma. The following groups are at higher risk of glaucoma:

African Americans over age 40

People over age 60, especially Mexican Americans

People with a family history of glaucoma

3. Getting a comprehensive dilated eye exam is the only way to catch glaucoma early. During a comprehensive dilated eye exam, drops are placed in your eyes to dilate, or widen, the pupil. Your eye care professional uses a special magnifying lens to examine the back of your eye and look for signs of damage or problems. People at higher risk of glaucoma should usually be examined every one to two years.

Caption: This video shows how open angle glaucoma progresses and affects vision.

4. Don’t wait for symptoms. Lack of awareness and lack of symptoms prevent people from getting glaucoma diagnosed early, notes Jullia Rosdahl, M.D., Ph.D., of the National Eye Health Education Program and Duke Eye Center. Without treatment, people with glaucoma will slowly lose their peripheral (side) vision. Over time, central (straight-ahead) vision is also affected.

Caption: Sight without side vision may seem like looking through a tunnel.

5. Glaucoma damages the eye’s optic nerve. The optic nerve is like a data cable coming out of the back of your eye. It carries visual information to your brain. Glaucoma damages the nerve cells or “wires” in the cable, disrupting the flow of visual information.

Caption: The optic nerve (highlighted) travels from eye to brain.

6. Once glaucoma damages your optic nerve, lost vision cannot be restored. Early detection combined with treatment can slow or stop glaucoma progression.

Caption: In cross-section, the optic nerve and retina funnel (left to right) information to the brain. The optic nerve (the purple stem of the funnel) collects information from the retina (the mouth of the funnel). Credit: Drs. Alejandra Bosco and Monica L. Vetter, University of Utah.

7. Eye pressure is a major risk factor for glaucoma. However, not every person with increased eye pressure will develop glaucoma, and glaucoma can develop without increased eye pressure.

NEI leads the federal government’s research on the visual system and eye diseases. NEI supports basic and clinical science programs to develop sight-saving treatments and address special needs of people with vision loss. For more information, visit https://www.nei.nih.gov.

About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation’s medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit http://www.nih.gov/.